Red Bank Green

Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

Patrick Noble on Broad Street in his hometown, Red Bank. (Click to enlarge)

Forgive us our presumptions, but when Patrick Noble invited redbankgreen to meet for coffee earlier this week to discuss his Socialist Party candidacy for Monmouth County Freeholder, we imagined someone… different, yes. Offbeat, certainly. Embittered, possibly.

We did not expect to find a pink-cheeked young man with a pleasant demeanor who lost his only prior run for elective office: vice president of his high school’s student government. In the current school year.

Noble is one of a handful of founders of the twin-county party, created just a month or so ago, and is also its chairman.

OK, so, socialism? Putting the means of production into the hands of the workers and all that? A political philosophy most often associated, in practice, with oppressive, murderous tyrants like Stalin and Mao?

“A lot of people say socialists don’t know, A, what to think, and B, what it means,” says Noble. “But once you explain it and break it down issue-by-issue, it’s not as crazy as some people tend to think it is.”

Noble says he’s been a socialist “for a number of years,” and joined the national party a year ago. He was drawn to it, he says, out of curiosity about “all the horribleness about it,” but “kept looking, kept looking, and didn’t see anything wrong with it.”

He says societies, whether capitalist or socialist, are “authoritarian no matter which way you look at it. Capitalist countries concentrate on an elite group of wealthy people, and the socialist countries that have historically been around concentrate on party elites. So which evil do you want to go for?”

Democratic socialists like himself, he says, “are just as critical of” authoritarian and murderous regimes like those of Stalin and Pol Pot as they are of capitalism.

“To give us the rap for them doesn’t make sense, because we’re as critical of them as everyone else.”

Rather, he says, his brand of socialism is about restoring working men and women to a decent, “equal” standard of living, without huge disparities in income and wealth, and getting there via democratic means, and without centralized control of politics and economies.

“If you work, you should be able to have a decent living, without worrying about the next paycheck, healthcare, things like that,” he says.

His 10-point platform, includes, in no particular order of priority, “paved roads for all… regardless of whether the road is in a wealthy area or a poverty-stricken one;” rent control; an end to eminent domain abuse; and employment programs to ensure that unemployed Monmouth County residents “can have an honest day’s work and have a decent paycheck to show for it.” Here’s the full list: pat-noble-platform-2011001

Noble says he believes in giving a say in the running of a business to all workers, who would get to vote on their leadership. If getting to that point displaces owners and shareholders, well, you gotta break some eggs to make omelettes, he suggests, allowing that forcible takeovers of companies may be acceptable.

“Our goal is not to take away from people, but to give to the most amount of people,” he says.

The Socialist Party of Monmouth and Ocean Counties plans to hold a membership meeting in the back room of Zebu Forno on Saturday, April 23 at noon. For more info, email.

[Update: After this article was published, Noble sent us a revised platform statement, which has been reduced to seven issues: campaign_platforms]

“her der pay ur taxes then do politcks”
Age has little to do with wisdom, as we’ve seen here in the UK. Plenty of lazy adults with dead-end jobs or indeed no jobs at all, whose political ideas are directly fed to them by tabloid media and the like, somehow believe that because they have been ignorant for a long time, they have a trump card to play against anyone younger than them, no matter how educated or sensible that person’s beliefs may be.

Kudos to you Pat, it’s good to see young idealists getting noticed, rather than just simply perpetuating the oligarchy of cynical politicians who do what is convenient, not what is right.

Our goal is not to take away from people, but to give to the most amount of people, says Patrick Noble.

Yes, that is not the goal. That is the means. It makes some of the citizens of Monmouth County into resources to use just like the roads, to be trampled on. As a resident and former student of Monmouth County, I am against this.

03.03 - Bubble Wrap Prints at MTPL Middletown Township Public Library invites ages 2 to 6 to help cover the tables in the Children's Activity Room in bubble wrap — then paint on the wrap, and make prints from the paint (remember to 'dress for mess')!

03.03 - One Night of Queen It's an 'amazingly accurate tribute' to the days when the late Freddie Mercury and company ruled the airwaves, starring Gary Mullen and The Works and featuring the greatest hits of Queen.

03.03 - TITLE IX AND CAMPUS ACTIVISM lecture at BCC As part of the Spring Lecture Series, Brookdale Community College welcomes civil rights activist Annie Clark, cofounder of the national advocacy group End Rape on Campus, for a discussion on the prevalence of sexual assaults at American colleges and how citizens can fight to stop them. Park in lots 6 or 7.

03.04 - Noble Writers at MTPL Middletown Township Public Library hosts a free weekly Wednesday morning meeting of the writing group for women, with all welcome to join and no registration required. A Writing Critiquing Group also meets every Wednesday evening at the library, 7 pm.

03.04 - GUADALUPE IN THE GUEST ROOM It's a world premiere from Two River Theater Company; an intimate play by Tony Meneses in which a Mexican woman’s daughter’s sudden death leaves the mother struggling to connect with her American son in law; looking past the cultural and language barriers to find common interest in the most unexpected places. Performances at 1 pm and 7 pm.

03.04 - Pottery Open House at Thompson Park Come to the park's Creative Arts Center; sample some hand building techniques and try your luck at the potter’s wheel in this free session. Open to ages 7 and up, under 18 with adult.

03.05 - Laugh at Lunch: Frangela Brookdale Community College Student Life and Activities hosts the 'pop cultural pundits' comedy team of Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton (Best Week Ever, Today Show, Showbiz Tonight and many other TV shows) in a lunchtime pitstop to the Warner Student Life Center on the Lincroft campus.

03.05 - Artists' Workshop The Red Bank Public Library hosts an informal monthly gathering with Artist in Residence Joe Bergholm, in which artists can 'find inspiration and motivation' in a space for creative people to draw and paint with others. No registration necessary; bring acrylics, pastels, watercolors, charcoal or pencils (no oils, please).

03.05 - GUADALUPE IN THE GUEST ROOM It's a world premiere from Two River Theater Company; an intimate play by Tony Meneses in which a Mexican woman’s daughter’s sudden death leaves the mother struggling to connect with her American son in law; looking past the cultural and language barriers to find common interest in the most unexpected places.

03.05 - Comedy Night Live at The Dub Chris Covert of Jersey Jokers presents the latest in a regular series of standup comedy Open Mics, in which some of the region's future stars (and ha ha hopefuls) are showcased upstairs at the Dublin House.

03.06 - First Friday Freestyle Art at MTPL Middletown Township Public Library invites grades K and up to a new program offered on the first Friday of the month for school age kids. Each month we'll experiment with a simple art concept. Space is limited; preregistration required.

03.06 - DREAMSCAPES AND SHAPED DREAMS Art Opening The Oyster Point Hotel hosts a reception for an exhibit of paintings (curated by Gerda Liebmann) by cousins Eileen and Lynne Kennedy. The artists will be present (and the public is welcome) during the reception from 7 to 9 pm, with the exhibit remaining on display in the first and second floor lobby areas through April 26.

03.06 - GUADALUPE IN THE GUEST ROOM It's a world premiere from Two River Theater Company; an intimate play by Tony Meneses in which a Mexican woman’s daughter’s sudden death leaves the mother struggling to connect with her American son in law; looking past the cultural and language barriers to find common interest in the most unexpected places.

03.06 - Burt Bacharach The master pop songwriter of the second half of the 20th century is still touring at the age of 86; returning to Red Bank with piano, orchestra, singers and a most awesome catalog of hits.

03.06 - Microsoft Word Discussion Group at MTPL Middletown Township Public Library hosts an introductory class on this entry—level desktop publishing application and create newsletters, brochures, cards, and more. Control page layout and design, and publish your own works.

03.06 - DIGGING THE WHOLE The Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center is the setting for a student production of the interactive family musical, in which the flora and fauna of the forest confront a slob who makes his new home in the middle of the woods.

03.07 - Open Shoot Archery at Thompson Park The homebase of the Monmouth County Parks System invites ages 8 and up (under 18 with adult) to try your hand at open shoot archery, with all equipment provided (no outside equipment permitted). Cash or check only; limited instruction provided to beginners.

03.07 - Drop—in Surprise Storytime at Deep Cut Gardens Join us for a free reading from a nature— or garden—related book at Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown. If the weather is nice, look for the clue at our entrance that leads to the secret spot in the gardens. If it’s rainy or cold, we’ll be inside the Horticultural Center.

03.07 - Middletown First Aid Squad at MTPL Middletown Township Public Library invites all ages to meet some of the township's volunteer emergency responders, with mini health screenings at 10 am, and a chance to learn about the First Aid Squad at 10:30.

03.07 - DIGGING THE WHOLE The Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center is the setting for a student production of the interactive family musical, in which the flora and fauna of the forest confront a slob who makes his new home in the middle of the woods. Performances at 11 am and 2 pm.